About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Central and Eastern Europe

1/12/2010

Changing the attitudes of farmers and local authorities

GWP Slovakia, GWP Hungary and GWP Ukraine worked with municipalities, river basin organisations, NGOs, farmers and urban planning authorities to develop a workable partnership to manage flood risks in the transboundary Bodrog River Basin.

The 18-month project resulted in practical measures to restore the floodplain and improve flood protection. Funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project addressed the competing interests of farmers and planners that needed to be taken into account when restoring the Bodrog Basin floodplain ecosystem, improving biodiversity and reducing the risk of flooding. Early involvement of local stakeholders was a critical factor in getting consensus, for instance, on the design of sluices. Public involvement had positive side effects, such as eliminating illegal disposal and curtailing releases of untreated wastewater. Involving farmers makes them more amenable to requests to forgo some of their activities in favour of floodplain restoration, even though this may affect their profits.

Exchange visits between countries were enormously useful in identifying common opportunities and benefits, not only in managing floods but also in cultural and social spheres, and for tourism. A strategy developed during the project set out ways for stakeholders to cooperate in putting in place flood management through river basin planning processes.

Page last edited: 6/15/2012